Selected complications of colonoscopy – an anaesthetist’s point of view

Abstract

Colonoscopy is a commonly performed procedure for the diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of conditions and symptoms, as well as for the screening and surveillance of colorectal neoplasia. Serious complications, such as bleeding and perforation, are reported in patients undergoing colonoscopy, especially during polypectomy. Bleeding is the most common complication of colonic polypectomy. It can occur immediately following polypectomy or be delayed from hours to up to days. Acute post-polypectomy haemorrhage is usually immediately apparent and amenable to endoscopic therapy. Nonendoscopic treatment modalities include angiographic embolization and surgery. Acute massive bleeding (internal bleeding/haemorrhage) into the lower gastrointestinal tract may cause hypovolaemia, which decreases cardiac output and tissue oxygen supply, which may require emergency surgery. Although colonic perforation is a rare complication, it is associated with a high rate of morbidity and mortality. This unpleasant complication could result in surgical intervention, stoma formation, intra-abdominal sepsis, prolonged hospital stay, and even death. An extra-intestinal structure identified during endoscopic examination is the most common clinical feature of colonic perforation. The management of patients with colonic perforation should be individualized based on patients’ clinical status and underlying diseases, the nature of perforation, and concomitant colorectal pathologies. Patients with both acute massive bleeding and lower gastrointestinal perforation may need emergency laparotomy, which requires perioperative cooperation of an endoscopist, a surgeon and an anaesthetist.